Tenant Dispute - Demands Warning?

[Carl W.]

My tenant brought to my attention that there was a ceiling issue in their unit. I had a contractor come out to perform the repair but not before a piece of the ceiling fell.

The issue is the tenant left valuables there that were damaged as a result of the piece falling and is demanding compensation. Before the incident, I talked with the tenant about the serious nature of the ceiling. I also followed up our conversation with an email that I needed to be contacted of emergencies immediately as the tenant had initially admitted to waiting to see what happened.

After their demand, I pointed out to the tenant that it was unreasonable of them to leave valuables under the area they knew needed repairs and expecting compensation. You wouldn't leave a car parked under a tree with a cracking branch. However, the tenant's argument is that no one ordered them to move the items so they were not properly warned.

Advice please.